Fresh mozzarella looks pretty bad on my pie

[MightyPizzaOven]

What brand of fresh mozzarella do you recommend using for 600 f - 5 minutes bake.

[TXCraig1]

Personally, I wouldn't. I certainly wouldn't use the water-packed stuff. If I was going to use fresh in the MPO, I'd try the Il Villaggio. HEB has it. The Mozzarella Fresca log is less expensive, but it also has more moisture. You might try cutting it into thicker chunks rather than thinner slices. You can also dab a bit of sauce on top of it to try to keep it cooler longer. You can also put sliced cheese straight on the dough and kind of splash the sauce over and around it - not covering the whole pie as you might ordinarily do if you put the sauce first. Grimaldi's uses fresh cheese, and this is how they do it.

[breadstoneovens]

Looks good to me. Just a little hotter oven or a bigger flame, if you can, to give it more color. I personally buy my mozzarella from Target.

Antoine

[TXCraig1]

Looks good to me. Just a little hotter oven or a bigger flame, if you can, to give it more color. I personally buy my mozzarella from Target.

Antoine

He isn't using a WFO. It's a grill mod he designed called the Mighty Pizza Oven. This is the latest design: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,20740.msg213228.html#msg213228

If you do a search, there are other threads with lots of test pictures and discussion.

[scott123]

If you can take it down to a 3 minute bake and follow Craig's instructions, I think you'll improve your chances of success.

Chau stretches his own Polly-O curd, which he then uses for breathtakingly beautiful 5 minute pies, so it's entirely possible. But I think, for most fior di latte, it's going to be a crap shoot.

[MightyPizzaOven]

Looks good to me. Just a little hotter oven or a bigger flame, if you can, to give it more color. I personally buy my mozzarella from Target.

Antoine

Thanks Antoine, compare to other margarita pies on the forum, mine needs lots of improvement.

Craig, I will try villagio next time and spread the sauce as you mentioned.

[scott123]

Also, don't forget, when it comes to helping cheese maintain stability when melting, fat is your friend. A Neo-NY pie has to have either pepperoni or a pre-bake drizzle of oo.

[MightyPizzaOven]

If you can take it down to a 3 minute bake and follow Craig's instructions, I think you'll improve your chances of success.

Chau stretches his own Polly-O curd, which he then uses for breathtakingly beautiful 5 minute pies, so it's entirely possible. But I think, for most fior di latte, it's going to be a crap shoot.

For three minutes pie, I would need to use more convection heat to brown the sides and top, I have been using  more radiating heat for crispier taste.

[MightyPizzaOven]

Also, don't forget, when it comes to helping cheese maintain stability when melting, fat is your friend. A Neo-NY pie has to have either pepperoni or a pre-bake drizzle of oo.

EVOO is my best friend, I should of thought drizzling some. Thanks.

[MightyPizzaOven]

I tried different setup yesterday to get temperature in the 700 on to and bottom stone.  I rotated MPO 90 from the burners, I had one burner right under the center of the round stone and allowed enough room between the back edge of the round stone back wall of MPO to have  un-obstructed heat from the second burner to heat the upper stone. I heated top stone for about 20 minutes before inserting the bottom round stone. I was able to get 2.5 minute bake time.

I had two middle burners on high and the other tow on low.

Cold rise dough, All purpose flour, salt, water and ADY, 1/8 garlic powder. 280 g Ball ...

Will this be called NEO pie or NEO-NY

[MightyPizzaOven]

Craig, I didn't get a chance to go HEB, I will try your recommended cheese next time hopefully.

I forgot to add Olive Oil.. I had hungry crowed waiting.

[TXCraig1]

Wow, you're getting close to Neo (NP). I would say the look is still more Neo-NY. With some dough/fermentation tweaks, you may be able to get a NP look. I think you're getting pretty close. 2.5 minutes suggests it is very possible.

What is the fermentation time? Dough hydration?

[TXCraig1]

Craig, I didn't get a chance to go HEB, I will try your recommended cheese next time hopefully.

I forgot to add Olive Oil.. I had hungry crowed waiting.

The cheese you used looks like it held up pretty well. Did you put it on in whole slices?

[MightyPizzaOven]

Thanks Craig,

The cheese you used looks like it held up pretty well. Did you put it on in whole slices?

yes

What is the fermentation time? Dough hydration?

48 hours cold fermentation, balled and placed back in the fridge for 4 hours, took them out 2 hours before baking, at room temperature. I didn't keep track of the hydration.  I would say at least 65%, it was bit sticky.

[MightyPizzaOven]

I think you're getting pretty close. 2.5 minutes suggests it is very possible.

Having un-obstructed heat to top stone made a big difference. To get short bake time for multiple pies, I would need to slide bottom stone out to allow more heat to top stone, and slide bottom stone back in.

I baked about 7 more pies after the first one, baked time was in 3 to 4 minutes without the need to remove bottom stone to get higher upper temperature.

[MightyPizzaOven]

More Pics

[thezaman]

 neo-ny forget the neo,those are beautiful pies!! why the garlic in the dough? does it overpower the taste from the slow rise or does it compliment it? i like the wat your shredded cheese melts i would kill those pies! how do you season your sauce? great job!!

[MightyPizzaOven]

neo-ny forget the neo,those are beautiful pies!! why the garlic in the dough? does it overpower the taste from the slow rise or does it compliment it? i like the wat your shredded cheese melts i would kill those pies! how do you season your sauce? great job!!

Thanks, I like see if I can make a descent NP with MPO, next will try to expirement with deep dish, Chicago style


Without the garlic powder, I find my dough taste bland.

For my sauce I use 28oz crushed tomato can from Walmart, I just 1 tbls of dried basil, oregano, olive oil, 1 tsp of minced garlic and 1/8 tsp Peprica .

[scott r]

Id stick with the normal mozzarella!   It really looks great!    if you must go for fresh mozzarella avoid all the crap at the grocery store.   See if you can find a foodservice distributer in your area that carries grande, or a pizzeria that will order it for you.  I understand what craig is saying about avoiding mozzarella in water on the retail level, but if you can get it on the wholesale level fresh grande is going to destroy just about everything else you can buy outside of the NY area.  Since your buy ing from a wholesaler It wont have been sitting in that water for a month before you get it like it does at a grocery store.    The grande case weight for their fresh mozzarella is only six pounds, so its a reasonable amount.   Since you will be buying from where a grocery store or restaurant would be buying it it will stay good for a month before looking like the cheese at the top photo in this thread.   It will also cost half what your paying at the retail level for inferior cheese, so even if you end up throwing half of it away you end up with a way better cheese for your money.   I think the last case I bought was about $32

Grande's fresh mozzarella is especially tasty for fresh mozzarella, but if you really want to do it right source some buffalo mozzarella on the wholesale level.   It should be about $63 a case, and I have had great luck freezing it.   It will melt better than anything and taste better than anything once it is properly drained and salted.

[MightyPizzaOven]

Thanks Scott... I will see if I can get Grande's fresh mozzarella it in Houston...